GLAAD - UMChttp://www.glaad.org/tags/umc
enMethodist Church reinstates Rev. Frank Schaefer, once defrocked for performing gay son's weddinghttp://www.glaad.org/blog/methodist-church-reinstates-rev-frank-schaefer-once-defrocked-performing-gay-sons-wedding
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-featured field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span id="styles-0-0" class="styles file-styles 750px"> <img src="http://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/styles/750px/public/images/2014-06/frank%20schaefer%20methodist%20umc.jpg?itok=rpeK5IoB" alt="" title="" /></span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Bringing his case before a nine-member appeals panel of the United Methodist Church (UMC), Frank Schaefer will be reinstated as a reverend within the denomination. This reverses the church's <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/rev-frank-schaefer-defrocked-blessing-his-gay-sons-marriage">December 2013 decision to defrock him</a>—a severe punishment for ordained clergy in which they lose their credentials--seven years after officiating the wedding ceremony for Tim, one of his three gay sons, and Tim's husband.</p>
<p>Though now "refrocked," Rev. Schaefer does not plan to return to his previous church, Zion United Methodist Church in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Additionally, Rev. Schaefer will receive back pay dating back to when was initially defrocked.</p>
<p>The UMC, the second largest Protestant denomination in the US, continues to experience deep internal divides over LGBT equality and how to treat people who are LGBT. While "church law instructs Methodists to accept gays and lesbians as members," <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/methodist-pastor-refrocked-after-performing-gay-sons-wedding">MSNBC reports</a>, UMC law simultaneously finds marriage equality or same-sex couples' relationships "incompatible with Christian teaching," and <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/united-methodist-church-removes-reinstates-then-rejects-openly-gay-candidate-ordination">does not permit those who are openly gay to be ordained</a>. Despite these policies, many Methodist clergy—including <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/pastor-monica-cosaro-boy-scouts-banned-my-congregation-because-we-support-gay-people">Monica Cosaro</a>, <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/video-methodist-minister-puts-love-over-law-suspended-officiating-marriage">Bill McElvaney</a>, <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/united-methodist-minister-put-trial-performing-wedding-his-son">Thomas Ogletree</a>, and <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/methodist-bishop-i-call-and-commit-cessation-trials-clergy-who-support-marriage-equality">Bishop Martin McLee</a>--and grassroots advocates in the church continue to speak out and act in support of the LGBT community.</p>
<p>Rev. Schaefer said in a statement today, "I can't even begin to describe how meaningful this 'refrocking' is to me. Today's decision by the committee is a hopeful sign for our LGBTQ community. They recognized that I was wrongfully punished for standing with those who are discriminated against." He added, "I've devoted my life to this church, to serving this church, and to be restored and to be able to call myself a reverend again and to speak with this voice means so much to me."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/rev-schaefers-30-days-are-nearly-will-he-recant">Initially suspended</a>, Rev. Schaefer was ultimately defrocked because he would not refuse to perform marriages for LGBT couples in the future. Following the panel's decision today, that punishments cannot be doled out in anticipation of future violations, Rev. Schaefer said he will continue to advocate "with an even stronger voice from within the United Methodist Church" for the LGBT community.</p>
<p>His story continues to garner national attention. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/25/us/methodist-panel-reinstates-defrocked-pastor.html?_r=0">The New York Times</a>, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/24/methodist-pastor-defrock-same-sex-marriage-appeal">The Guardian</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/24/frank-schaefer-defrocking-methodist_n_5526312.html">the Associated Press</a>, and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/24/us-usa-church-trial-idUSKBN0EZ2C820140624">Reuters </a>are among those reporting on Rev. Schaefer's reinstatement.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pubdate field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">June 24, 2014</span></div></div></div>
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Tue, 24 Jun 2014 20:26:13 +0000alexandrabolles71432 at http://www.glaad.orghttp://www.glaad.org/blog/methodist-church-reinstates-rev-frank-schaefer-once-defrocked-performing-gay-sons-wedding#commentsUnited Methodist Church removes, reinstates, then rejects openly gay candidate for ordinationhttp://www.glaad.org/blog/united-methodist-church-removes-reinstates-then-rejects-openly-gay-candidate-ordination
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-featured field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span id="styles-1-0" class="styles file-styles 750px"> <img id="1" src="http://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/styles/750px/public/images/2014-05/Mary%20Ann%20Barclay%20UMC.jpg?itok=ElEuB_dF" alt="" title="" /></span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>After an eight year process, openly lesbian Mary Ann Barclay was not moved forward in the ordination process, as the Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM) rejected her candidacy to become a minister in the United Methodist Church (UMC).</p>
<p>In late 2013, Mary Ann was <a href="http://www.believeoutloud.com/latest/mary-ann-barclay-reinstated-methodist-ordination-process">preemptively removed</a> from the process because she married Annanda, her girlfriend who she met while studying in seminary. Officially, the UMC does not allow people who are LGBT and not celibate to serve as clergy. However, in December, Mary Ann was reinstated in the process and allowed to proceed with examination and an interview with the BOM. She is based in the Southwest Texas Annual Conference.</p>
<p>The Board believed that Mary Ann "failed to articulatemy understanding of the 'Lordship of Christ for the world,' the particular role of ordination, and a failure to communicate my 'internal call,'" she said in a <a href="http://www.rmnblog.org/2014/05/barclay.html">statement</a> released through the LGBT-affirming, faith-based group <a href="http://www.rmnetwork.org/">Reconciling Ministries Network</a>. Mary Ann continued:</p>
<blockquote><p>Marginalized people set up these sorts of psychological self-protections because we know all too well that dreaming can hurt. When we dare to hope in the church and its people, to trust them with our bruised hearts and tired bodies, we put ourselves at risk yet again of disappointment, of betrayal, of harm. Today I hoped in my Board of Ordained Ministry, and in my church, by trusting in them enough to share the call God has placed on my life. Their vote not to recommend me for ministry today makes me sad, hurt, and angry. I am sad because my journey is stalled and because my denomination is not its true self today. I am hurt by the prejudice we have deemed polity. And I am angry because I know the sadness and hurt I carry is a familiar feeling for so many other LGBTQ folks in The UMC who dare to keep dreaming. I join other rejected candidates, the ones who feel no choice but to leave, the clergy forced to live in the closet, the members who struggle with their place in their own denomination, and the queer clergy who have faced trials or have been defrocked solely because of who they are. I am angry that we continue to grow in number.</p>
<p>. . . My first priority as a Christian is not ordination at all cost. Rather, it is living out my faith. With or without the Board’s approval, my task remains the same. Even when our denomination becomes fully inclusive of its LGBTQ members, it will not be the Kindom. There is more conversation, more conflict, more discrimination, and we are all called to the center of that. We are all called to be a part of the messy, painful, challenging work of sanctification, that work that makes our church and our collective selves more representative of the radical world of Table where all feast, and of Baptism, where all are claimed by the waters. This is our work as Christian people.</p>
<p>Today is painful but it is not the end. I still dare to hope.</p>
<p>. . . May we keep knocking, persistently and daringly, on the doors of the church we love until they open in the name of the ones who have had doors slammed in their faces, in the name of the ones who have felt no choice but to leave, and most importantly, in the name of the Divine voice who claims us all.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In addition to the statement, Mary Ann also shared these words of wisdom on Twitter:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><p>"Whatever you lose, lose not your soul." - John Wesley</p>
<p>— Mary Ann Barclay (@ladygadfly) <a href="https://twitter.com/ladygadfly/statuses/466196358093742081">May 13, 2014</a></p></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><p>"It is untrue that bravery can be measured by a lack of fear. It takes guts to tremble. It takes tremble to love." - Andrea Gibson</p>
<p>— Mary Ann Barclay (@ladygadfly) <a href="https://twitter.com/ladygadfly/statuses/459436754529828864">April 24, 2014</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Like a number of denominations, the UMC is engaged in ongoing internal conversations about the LGBT community. Recently, Methodist Bishop Martin McLee <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/despite-church-policy-methodist-bishop-wont-charge-minster-being-openly-gay">dropped a complaint</a> brought against Rev. Sara Thompson Tweedy for being openly gay. In Seattle, <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/pastor-monica-cosaro-boy-scouts-banned-my-congregation-because-we-support-gay-people">Rev. Dr. Monica Cosaro</a> and her church <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/boy-scouts-toss-out-church-over-gay-scoutmaster">Rainier Beach United Methodist Church</a> adamantly <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/church-hires-attorney-defend-gay-scoutmaster-cites-violation-religious-freedom">stand with Geoff McGrath</a>, a Scoutmaster who the Boy Scouts of America are working to oust because he is gay. Still, Mary Ann's rejection from ordination is a reminder that efforts towards full inclusion are far from over.</p>
<p>You can read Mary Ann's <a href="http://www.rmnblog.org/2014/05/barclay.html">full statement here</a>.</p>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pubdate field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">May 14, 2014</span></div></div></div>
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Wed, 14 May 2014 21:53:33 +0000alexandrabolles71019 at http://www.glaad.orghttp://www.glaad.org/blog/united-methodist-church-removes-reinstates-then-rejects-openly-gay-candidate-ordination#commentsDespite church policy, Methodist bishop won't charge minster for being openly gayhttp://www.glaad.org/blog/despite-church-policy-methodist-bishop-wont-charge-minster-being-openly-gay
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-featured field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span id="styles-2-0" class="styles file-styles 750px"> <img id="2" src="http://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/styles/750px/public/images/2014-05/mind%20methodist%20org.jpg?itok=ZBSRygpe" alt="" title="" /></span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>A bishop in the United Methodist Church (UMC) is dropping a complaint against an openly gay minister for being a "self-avowed practicing homosexual." The news was announced by <a href="http://www.mindny.org/">MIND</a> (Methodists in New Directions), the LGBT-affirming reconciling organization for the UMC's New York Annual Conference.</p>
<p>Reverend <a href="http://www.mindny.org/about/mind-leadership/#Tweedy">Sara Thompson Tweedy</a>, who is a steering committee member for MIND, had a complaint filed against her in March 2013 for being openly gay, while the United Methodist Church bans LGBT people from serving as clergy. A dean at SUNY Sullivan, Sara is also married with two children.</p>
<p>Bishop Martin McLee's decision to drop the complaint means that no formal disciplinary charges brought against Rev. Thompson Tweedy.</p>
<p>Rev. Thompson Tweedy responded to the decision:</p>
<blockquote><p>In dismissing this case, Bishop McLee has chosen to honor the inclusive and justice-affirming intents of our <em>Book of Discipline</em> over its prejudiced and punitive rules. I have never denied who God created me to be and I have never denied my family. I went through this 14-month ordeal with the same integrity I went through the ordination process with, forthrightly answering questions and not hiding any aspect of my identity or my marriage. If my honesty resulted in my being defined as “self-avowed, practicing homosexual,” I was willing to face those consequences. Bishop McLee’s refusal to seek prosecution offers hope that other LGBTQ seminarians, ordination candidates and ministers in our New York Annual Conference can also live and work openly without fear of losing their jobs and their vocation.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In a statement released in March, regarding charges against Rev. Dr. Thomas W. Ogletree for officiating his gay son's wedding, <a href="http://www.glaad.org/blog/methodist-bishop-i-call-and-commit-cessation-trials-clergy-who-support-marriage-equality">Bishop McLee said</a>, “I call for and commit to a cessation of church trials for conducting ceremonies which celebrate homosexual unions or performing same gender wedding ceremonies and instead offer a process of theological, spiritual and ecclesiastical conversation.”</p>
<p>As the UMC continues ongoing efforts towards LGBT equality and internal discussions about policies regarding the LGBT community, Bishop McLee's decision—as well as Rev. Thompson Tweedy's advocacy and visibility—are important steps towards making the church inclusive and affirming.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pubdate field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">May 5, 2014</span></div></div></div>
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Mon, 05 May 2014 21:31:48 +0000alexandrabolles70932 at http://www.glaad.orghttp://www.glaad.org/blog/despite-church-policy-methodist-bishop-wont-charge-minster-being-openly-gay#commentsTake action now! #StandWithMaryAnnhttp://www.glaad.org/blog/take-action-now-standwithmaryann
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-featured field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span id="styles-3-0" class="styles file-styles 750px"> <img id="3" src="http://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/styles/750px/public/Twitter-with-Megaphone.jpg?itok=AEVg7gFd" alt="" title="" /></span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Take action to help support a candidate for ministry in the United Methodist Church. In breaking news, <a href="https://twitter.com/ladygadfly">Mary Ann Kaiser</a> was removed from the ordination process by the Southwest Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church because of her sexual orientation.</p>
<p>She was a certified candidate for ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church. Her home district committee voted to certify her earlier this year. Her ordination journey was halted abruptly yesterday when The Southwest Texas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry recommended to the clergy of the conference to revoke her certification because Mary Ann identifies as a lesbian.</p>
<p>Proper procedures in the UMC’s own rule book, <em>The Book of Discipline</em>, were ignored by the conference. Mary Ann was treated inhumanely in the voting process. Furthermore, simply identifying as a lesbian is not grounds to remove someone from the ordination process. </p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.rmnetwork.org/">Reconciling Ministries Network</a>, "Legal council is working with Mary Ann to make a case to her bishop that the Southwest Texas Annual Conference broke their own rules in the way that they removed Mary Ann from the ordination process, specific to three different paragraphs in The UMC <em>Discipline.</em>"</p>
<p>In response, Reconciling Ministries Network is creating a Stand with Mary Ann campaign to make sure her case is heard. They are calling for a Twitter blast starting now.</p>
<h2>Take Action</h2>
<p>Tweet one of the following tweets now and help the voice of the entire movement be heard.</p>
<p><strong>#SWTXAC clergy voted to remove @ladygadfly from the ordination process because of her sexual orientation. #StandWithMaryAnn </strong></p>
<p><strong>#OutOfOrderSWTX #UMC Stand with @ladygadfly. Her #UMC conference did harm by removing her from ordination track bc of her orientation. #StandWithMaryAnn</strong></p>
<p>Be sure to use hashtag #SWTXAC and one of the following <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23StandWithMaryAnn&amp;src=typd">#StandWithMaryAnn</a> #OutOfOrderSWTX #UMC in your tweet!</p>
<p>Share your posts on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reconciling.ministries.network">RMN's Facebook</a> in addition to Twitter!</p>
<p> </p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pubdate field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">June 7, 2013</span></div></div></div>
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Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:02:34 +0000chelseashamy66393 at http://www.glaad.orghttp://www.glaad.org/blog/take-action-now-standwithmaryann#comments